V Exclusive! J. Cole Talks ‘Heart & Soul’ of His Debut, Road To Success, and More

Music

With the number-one album in the country, Roc Nation star J. Cole’s conquest of the rap game is underway. Recently, he sat down with New Music Director to discuss the “heart and soul” of his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story.

Coles names his songs “Lost Ones,” “Breakdown,” and “Lights Please” as a few of the most important songs from his first release. He also reveals the first song he ever recorded was based on a relationship story that was pretty close to a real life experience.

While admitting that his early raps didn’t contain much substance, Jermaine reveals as he grew as an artist his subject matter gradually became closer to what he was really going through in everyday life.